The Start Of A Love Affair

'She sat in the restaurant,waiting anxiously. She was 16 years old,and she was waiting for a boy. His name was Yona. She and Yona had been classmates in primary school,and in pry 3,he'd been her first crush,and her first kiss. Not a real kiss,mind you;they'd been acting(the kinda acting little kids did during break/after school),and she'd kissed him on the cheek. "Was that the play or was that us?",he'd asked with a chuckle when they spoke about it years later. She'd left the school in pry. 4 and had completely lost contact with all her primary school music,this was way before the profusion of cell-phones into the Nigerian society. When she was in SS1,she'd signed up for facebook,and a few months later she'd found him there. He'd left the country after Pry. 6. They talked incessantly,catching up and reconnecting,sometimes exchanging as much as 86 messages in one day. He was a really nice person,and the fact that he was a thousand miles away made her feel safe and freer than she had ever felt with any guy;she even told him about the crush she'd had on him all those years ago. He was sweet,he made her laugh,he understood her passion-writing,because he had a passion of his own-drawing. Things had changed though. He was in Nigeria with his family,and she was definitely out of her comfort zone. They'd arranged to meet at the Mr. Biggs in Maryland,just them,before they met with all their old primary school friends. She bit her nails nervously. She'd always been self-confident about guys;whether they were handsome or not,but Yona was different. Maybe it was because she knew how different he was,and in comparison to the white girls he was used to,she felt inferior,inadequate somehow. He'd been in two relationships that hadn't worked out,while she,at the ripe old age of 16 hadn't even been kissed yet(except you counted the time she'd kissed Yona on the cheek). And then,she was insecure about her body. She wasnt fat,not by a long shot,but she was bigger than her elder sisters. She looked more womanly;

'She had rounder curves;and as a result she was often the subject of much teasing from her family. She took it stoicly,oftentimes giving out a few disses of her own,but deep down,she was insecure. They'd both talked about their bodies and how they'd grown;he was taller,cuter and had even started shaving regularly(about every two weeks),and when he asked her how she'd filled out(because she was as skinny as a toothpick then),and she said she'd filled out pretty darn well. It was very easy to be self-confident online,but meeting him in person was very different. What if when he saw her he turned away in distate? What if he ran out of the restaurant and never came back? What if. . ? 'Get a grip',she muttered to herself. She'd been waiting for less than 10 minutes,but to her it felt like an eternity. Just when she thought she would explode with anxiety,he walked in. His bespectacled eyes scanned the crowd,searching for her. He found her,grinned broadly and then strode purposefully to her and she rose from the chair. "Hey Yona",she said,her voice shaky,and she stretched out a hand for him to shake. He took it,and then drew her to him and hugged her. Her face against his blue cotton shirt,she blinked. Hugging boys wasn't something she usually did. "You're supposed to hug me back",he whispered in her ear. If voices could kill,she'd have died and gone to heaven that very moment.as she hugged him back,she couldn't stop thinking about his voice which sounded like chocolate and cream. His accent wasn't too much to be overpowering,nor was it too little to be understated. She couldn't stop thinking about how good he smelled or how wonderful it was to feel the sinewy muscles of his back through his shirt. She felt an odd tingling in her heart and then said to him;"You might wanna let go of me now. People are starting to stare". "Sorry",he said with a sheepish grin as he let her go. "It's just so good to see you,Mims",he continued,calling her by the short form of her name,Miriam

They sat down opposite each other and started talking. At first,she was kinda stiff,but as the conversation went on,her tension melted away. "So how long are you gonna be around?",she asked about an hour later. He chewed and swallowed the rice in his mouth and said;"About three months. After which i'll receive a letter from Met U,find out whether they accepted my college application or not". She knew how badly he wanted to get into Met U;he'd mentioned it before several times. "They'd be crazy not to take you",she said,and continued;"I mean,come on. You're smart,you're intuitive,you're hardworking. . You'd be an asset". He smiled at her gratefully and said;"Thank you for saying that". "Your'e welcome",she said,smiling back at him,outwardly radiating cool self-assurance,but her insides had turned to jelly when he smiled. He had pearly white teeth,slight dimples,and his eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed. "Uhh. . . It's been over an hour",she said a few minutes later,looking at heq wristwatch. "I have to go",she continued. "Bummer",he said,and rose when she rose. "I just got a new line. Could i have your number?",he asked. "Of course",she replied and gave it to him. He dialled it and cut the call after her phone rang. "Call me when you get home",he said. "I will. Bye",she replied. "Bye",he said and gave her a quick hug. She smiled at him and then left the restaurant.